Pocket Poets #04: Howl: And Other Poems

Staff Pick

"Do we need to say anything about Howl? This is, more than anything else, the book that launched the Beat movement. By turns wildly praised and bitterly reviled, it still packs a wallop today." Recommended by Chris Faatz, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

"Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems was originally published by City Lights Books in the fall of 1956. Subsequently seized by U.S. Customs and the San Francisco police, it was the subject of a long court trial at which a series of poets and professors persuaded the court that the book was not obscene.

Allen Ginsberg was born June 3, 1926, the son of Naomi Ginsberg, Russian émigré, and Louis Ginsberg, lyric poet and schoolteacher, in Paterson, New Jersey. To these facts Ginsberg adds: 'High school in Paterson till 17, Columbia College, merchant marine, Texas and Denver copyboy, Times Square, amigos in jail, dishwashing, book reviews, Mexico City, market research, Satori in Harlem, Yucatan and Chiapas 1954, West Coast 3 years. Later Arctic Sea trip, Tangier, Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, read at Oxford Harvard Columbia Chicago, quit, wrote Kaddish 1959, made tape to leave behind and fade in Orient awhile. Carl Solomon to whom Howl is addressed, is a intuitive Bronx dadaist and prose-poet.""

Review:

"[Ginsberg's political] actions make him a significant cultural figure, but it is the poetry that makes him a significant literary figure." Helen Vendler, The New Yorker

Review:

"The reissue of this classic in its small hardcover form assures that new generations will have access to the prophetic words of this 1950s beat poet. This is the poem which reflected and launched a generation of rebels: its new form assures expanded readership." Midwest Book Review

Synopsis:

Originally published in 1956, this poem was subsequently seized by US customs and the San Francisco police. It was the subject of a long court trial at which a series of poets and professors persuaded the court that the book was not obscene.

Synopsis:

Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Stories was originally published by City Lights Books in the Fall of 1956. Subsequently seized by U.S. customs and the San Francisco police, it was the subject of a long court at which a series of poets and professors persuaded the court that the book was not obscene.

The Pocket Poets Series edition features an introduction by William Carlos Williams.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

SarahNicoleD, December 4, 2010 (view all comments by SarahNicoleD)
Excellent compilation! Howl, along with Allen Ginsberg's other works, are a masterpiece worth reading again and again. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Beats generation and their literary works.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(3 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)

"Do we need to say anything about Howl? This is, more than anything else, the book that launched the Beat movement. By turns wildly praised and bitterly reviled, it still packs a wallop today."

by Chris Faatz

"Review"
by Helen Vendler, The New Yorker,
"[Ginsberg's political] actions make him a significant cultural figure, but it is the poetry that makes him a significant literary figure."

"Review"
by Midwest Book Review,
"The reissue of this classic in its small hardcover form assures that new generations will have access to the prophetic words of this 1950s beat poet. This is the poem which reflected and launched a generation of rebels: its new form assures expanded readership."

"Synopsis"
by Gardners,
Originally published in 1956, this poem was subsequently seized by US customs and the San Francisco police. It was the subject of a long court trial at which a series of poets and professors persuaded the court that the book was not obscene.

"Synopsis"
by dave@powells.com,
Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Stories was originally published by City Lights Books in the Fall of 1956. Subsequently seized by U.S. customs and the San Francisco police, it was the subject of a long court at which a series of poets and professors persuaded the court that the book was not obscene.

The Pocket Poets Series edition features an introduction by William Carlos Williams.

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